Games between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun tend to be physical. The two teams already made headlines earlier this season with an on-court scuffle and some hard fouls involving Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Marina Mabrey, and Jacy Sheldon. While the incident caused an insane rise in popularity for Cunningham, it did quite the opposite for the referees.
Players, coaches, and fans have criticized the refereeing in the WNBA all season long. The Fever’s third game of the season against the Sun was no exception. During the game, Caitlin Clark got into it with an official over an out-of-bounds call and was visibly frustrated after the interaction. She is not the only Fever player who had something to say either.
After the game, Sophie Cunningham responded to a video showing a missed call on X. With 7:49 left in the fourth quarter and the Fever up 66-65, Sydney Colson brought up the ball for Indiana. Cunningham tried to set a screen for Aliyah Boston at the free-throw line. Olivia Nelson-Ododa fought over the screen, and Cunningham was knocked down, seemingly taking an elbow to the head. No foul was called, so all Cunningham could do was get up and back into the play.
Later, Cunningham commented on the incident on X.
they said I flopped. el oh el. https://t.co/EV3W5LKkRK
— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) July 16, 2025
While her comment isn’t specifically directed at the referees, it still underlines the missed call.
Fever players aren’t the only ones unhappy with the officiating
The officiating in Fever games is always under the microscope. However, there have been plenty of non-Fever-related games that led to harsh criticism of the officiating.
In June, Kelsey Plum called out the lack of foul calls she gets when driving to the basket. Earlier this month, Angel Reese made headlines with comments about the referees in her postgame media availability and on X after an 80-75 loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon also voiced her frustration after a 70-68 loss to the Washington Mystics, calling the officiating “awful.” Most recently, Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase was unhappy with a late foul call that ended up deciding her team’s game against the Phoenix Mercury.
The WNBA experienced a meteoric rise in popularity over the last couple of years. With more eyes on the game comes more media coverage and scrutiny. The referees are not exempt from that. So, the WNBA must make sure the referees are up to the task. Having good officials isn’t only crucial to ensure that games run smoothly. It also helps lower tension and frustration that can escalate quickly during games.